With this move, Microsoft may be able to pull off a feat that has eluded other companies: bring big data to the mainstream. As it stands, only large-scale companies with fat IT budgets have been able to reap that analytical bounty, as the tools on the market tend to be both complex and pricey.

Microsoft's strategy is to groom Linux-friendlier Hadoop to fit snugly into Windows environments, thus giving organizations on-tap, seamless, and simultaneous access to both structured and unstructured data via familiar desktop apps, such as Excel, as well as BI tools such as Microsoft PowerPivot.